Ambitious Brackley make a start in retaining their stars

The likes of goalkeeper Danny Lewis, Connor Franklin, Ellis Myles, Shepherd Murombedzi, Glenn Walker and Shane Byrne have agreed terms for next season at St James Park.

Saints still find themselves in an unusual position of not quite knowing if their last campaign is actually over yet as they were in the play-off positions when the National League North season was halted due to the Covid-19 outbreak.

There remains a slight possibility that the play-offs could still take place should full promotion and relegation take place between the League Two and the National League as that would then have a knock-on effect to the North and South divisions.

However, despite things still being up in the air, Saints aren’t standing still and have moved swiftly to secure some of their stars for the next campaign, whenever that may start.

“It’s been a frustrating period for everyone with not knowing when the next season will start,” Wilkin said.

“But we want to try to keep a lot of the players who have made us very competitive over the last few seasons. Naturally, we are delighted to have got them to commit for another season whenever that starts.

“We have certainly lost players who have done very well for us because they have been picked off by clubs at a higher level and that’s always a frustration.

“But it’s also indicative of the consistency they and we have shown, as a group.

“We would never stand in anyone’s way if there is a chance to progress and get into full-time football, we would be delighted to have played a part in that happening.

“But it’s balanced off by the fact we are ambitious as a club and we want to do well and we want to try to retain all of those players we have worked with and progressed to help get them to a consistent standard of football.

“We have worked hard to achieve that, the core of our group has done that and to have retained a lot of them at this stage is encouraging.”

The next step for Wilkin will be to look to bring in some new faces to freshen things up.

But he added: “Every club takes stock of what has happened the previous season and then makes plans for the next. Like we have said, we don’t have a start date as yet.

“You find yourself talking to players but we are in the same boat as everyone else where we don’t want to be spending a lot of money when there hasn’t been any coming through the turnstiles for some time now."